


Send a Bouquet of Yellow Carnations to the Gods.

by Dax_A_Bit_Angsty



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Minecraft Youtubers, Tales From The SMP - Fandom, dream survival multiplayer
Genre: Almost Drowning, Alternate Timelines, Angst, Bleeding to death, Comatose Karl Jacobs, Comfort No Hurt, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Grotesque flower imagery, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Immortality, Karl Jacobs-centric, M/M, Memory Loss, Multi, Near Death, Panic Attacks, Pirate Captain Puffy, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Reincarnation, The Inbetween on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), They waited at home for him, Time Travel, but he never came home, rejection of fate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-28 23:35:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30147348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dax_A_Bit_Angsty/pseuds/Dax_A_Bit_Angsty
Summary: There once was a time traveler in the SMP.As he travelled, he forgot more of himself.One day he woke up in a village, surrounded by strangers who'd found him unconscious.They offered him a home, they offered him companionship.He knew he was meant to be doing something; he knew his "job" wasn't finished.But he didn't see a reason to leave this place.He wondered what his name was.He wondered if there were people waiting for him at home.As far as he could remember, no one would miss him if he stayed here.So he rejected whatever fate had previously been determined;He sent a bouquet of yellow carnations to the gods.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap/Quackity, Papa Puffy - Relationship, Puffy/Nihachu, Wilbur & Techno (SBI)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So you guys can picture things better:
> 
> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> 

He couldn’t breathe.

His desperate attempts to gasp for air only filled his lungs with water as he was mercilessly shoved back under again and again.

The sun was completely blocked out by dark clouds, with the only light being the occasional flashes of lightning that slashed through the sky.

He vaguely remembered a thunderstorm in which he’d spent lying in bed, with two other figures huddled close to share in the warmth.

But every sudden shove shattered his image of home.

Everytime his head breached the surface, he felt himself battered ruthlessly by the crashing waves.

He felt his consciousness slip, his tortured mind unable to keep itself focused.

As he sunk, he wondered who was waiting for him at home.

He couldn’t picture any faces.

. . . . .   
. . .  
.

They couldn’t help but wonder where he’d come from.

The strange boy had just washed ashore one day, being rejected by the sea, and wearing strange white clothes with his skin bleached in patches, as if he were covered in flour.

He also hadn’t been conscious. In fact, he refused to regain any semblance of consciousness even about a week after having been found.

The pirate captain stood in the doorway, looking over the unconscious figure. His ripped hoodie and jeans had been switched out for some clothes that had hurriedly been pulled together upon the appearance of the newcomer.

Walking over to the bedside, she pressed a hand to his forehead. His skin was cold. The captain’s hand brushed against a patch of white, causing her to flinch back in pain from the sheer freezing temperature.

She stood back, her mouth pressed in a thin line.

She felt a presence behind her, and flicked a glance back.

“He’s still out cold?”

“Yep, sleeping as soundly as a baby.” She crossed her arms, “You think he’ll ever wake up?”

“I have a feeling he will, but,” the man shrugged conspiratorially, “I have no idea what mental state he could be in.”

“You’re right,” the captain squared her jaw solemnly, “not to mention we have no idea when the last time he ate was. It’s a wonder there’s any life in him at all.”

“Maybe it’d be better for him if he didn’t wake up.”

Her eyes widening, she turned on her heel and craned her neck to shoot him a displeased look, “Typhon!”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” He raised his hands in surrender, stumbling back over his words in an attempt to alleviate the anger that was undoubtedly coming, “I gave him a Totem of Undying when we found him, remember? I’m still planning to help him wake up.”

She glared at her monstrously tall companion a moment longer, but soon turned back to look at the boy, concern highlighting her features.

Waiting in silence for a moment, Typhon eventually spoke up, “I’m sure he’ll wake up sometime soon, Puffy.”

The pirate captain sighed, fiddling with the golden buttons on her long black duster, “I hope so.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> Kalipso - Niki  
> 

_ ~Several days later~ _

Though it was a warm afternoon, with sunlight invading the room and leaving no corners untouched, he shivered under the cotton blanket.

There was something missing. Or someone.  _ Someones? _

He wasn’t sure what made him think that, though.

He didn’t know what could be missing.

Come to think of it, he wasn’t even sure what he should be expecting.

Blearily, he opened his eyes, vision unfocused and mind foggy.

A wooden cabin surrounded him, walls undecorated and furniture bare. There was a chair beside his bed.

Still wrapped in the fog of sleep, he got to work pulling apart what he remembered.

He remembered a library of sorts. And then suddenly he was in the water.

Logically, he figured the library must’ve been on a boat or something, and he got shipwrecked because of the storm.

But that didn’t explain where he was now.

And for some reason, he had a hunch his reasonable conclusion was wrong.

Through the window spanning the length of a wall, he peered out at a seaside view. The edge of several other cottages caught his eye.

He scooted to the edge of the bed, and slipped off to move over to the window.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, they crumpled under his own weight. And that was a feat in itself; he really didn’t weigh much anymore.

Nonetheless, he yelped as he fell, reaching out to grab anything that could steady him. Instead of grabbing something actually useful, he succeeded in pulling a lamp off the bedside table. It hit the ground too with a resounding crash, glowstone shards newly spread across the wooden floorboards.

He blinked, looking down at his now bloody hands, remnants of the shattered lamp now ingrained in his palms.

Footsteps assaulted the hallway outside, and soon the door was shoved open, a girl peering in cautiously yet panic-stricken.

Her eyes landed on the bed first, the sheets untucked and messy, the usual unconscious figure missing.

Then her eyes drifted to the boy sitting on the floor, a broken lamp beside him.

Her eyes widening, she rushed to his side, “Oh my goodness! Are you okay?”

She checked over his hands and, seeing the blood, she reached into the bedside table for bandages, careful to mind the glowstone shards on the floor. Helping the injured boy to stand, she led him over to the bathroom sink.

“Does it hurt?” She questioned worriedly, washing the wound with warm water.

“Not really,” he shrugged, wincing more from the heat of the water than from the pain of the wound.

“I don’t think that’s a good thing,” she turned the tap off, patting his hands down with a towel and beginning to bandage them, “but I’m glad you’re finally awake.”

He felt anxiety stab at him, “How long was I out?”

“About a week and a half from when Typhon brought you in.”

“Typhon?” Should he have recognised the name?

The unknown lady gasped in realisation, “Oh sorry! He and Puffy found you beached and unconscious, so they brought you here.”

At least it was confirmed they were strangers; he wouldn’t have to pretend he knew anything about anyone here. He zoned out after hearing the mentioned name, however.  _ Puffy _ . It was familiar,  _ so  _ familiar. But he couldn’t even put a face to the name.

“Hello?”

He blinked back to reality, “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked for your name,” she gave a friendly smile, unbothered by his unfocused nature.

The name was right on his tongue, ready to be said. He opened his mouth, “Oh, it’s--” And then it was gone. When he realised he had no name to give, he simply closed his mouth again. He opened it once again to say something, but ended up just looking like a fish gulping for air, as he closed, opened, and closed his mouth once more.

He finally settled on just staying quiet.

“Oh,” the stranger gave him a look of sympathy, “well my name’s Kalipso. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Um, it’s nice to meet you too.” He tried for a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

For the first time, he got a proper look at this stranger - Kalipso. She had long raven hair, with the front and ends dyed honey. She wore a brown bolero, with a simple white long-sleeved dress underneath.

A sudden growl startled him into flinching.

Panic filtered his thoughts immediately. Was there some kind of a threat? Was there a rabid dog about to tear his throat out?

For a moment, the girl just blinked at him.

And then she burst out laughing, throwing her head back, stress-free.

“Your stomach doesn’t seem too happy about you missing so many meals while in your coma,” Kalipso giggled, “you’re lucky I was in the middle of making sandwiches for lunch!”

He felt heat rise to his face. He’d really just gotten startled by his own stomach grumbling at him. She didn’t seem to notice, though.

Tentatively, she grabbed one of his bandaged hands and led him back down the hallway, out to the dining room table. She had to half-drag him, but it wasn’t too hard considering how little he weighed. It was honestly rather concerning to her, but she didn’t point it out.   



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> Kalipso - Niki  
> 

_ ~Later~ _

A knock on the front door made the boy flinch. It wasn’t enough to stop him from eating, though. He continued to cram nutella sandwiches into his cheeks, and Kalipso had to stifle a laugh as she mentally compared him to a chipmunk. Getting up and skipping over to the front door, the girl smiled as she revealed the person on the other side.

“Hestia!” In her excitement, she didn’t wait for her friend to speak, “You’ll never guess who just woke up!”

The sheep-hybrid blinked a bit, not expecting the enthusiasm on such a quiet day. After a few moments, the words registered however, and her eyes widened.

She stumbled in to see the boy sitting at the dining room table. He wasn’t quite in tip-top shape, and he certainly didn’t look healthy, but he was up. He was _ awake _ .

Preoccupied with his sandwiches, he just blinked back at her for a bit, mumbling out an anxious “hi”, laughing a bit but only beginning to choke on his food.

After calming down, and sorting out the choking boy, the pirate captain sat down with the two.

The sheep-hybrid shook her head in amazement, “So he really woke up, huh?”

“Mhm,” Kalipso smiled, “only about half an hour ago.”

As the captain turned to look at the boy, still cramming his mouth with sandwiches, she frowned, “You might wanna slow down there, bud, your stomach definitely isn’t able to handle all of that right now.”

He felt like he should apologise. He didn’t know these people; they were letting him stay in their house and here he was stealing all their food. At the same time, however, he was too exhausted to care. All of his muscles ached, his mind was foggy and despondent, and  _ somehow _ he was  _ still _ starving!

Realising the boy wasn’t going to slow down, she simply sighed and gave him a gentle smile, “My name is Hestia, though most people around town call me Puffy.”

“Puffy?” He tested the name on his tongue. Again, so familiar yet so foreign.

“Yeah, it’s just a silly nickname based on an inside joke.” She chuckled, “It’s definitely a ‘had to be there’ moment. Feel free to just call me Hestia.”

After a moment, he nodded, giving a small smile.

“What’s your name?”

His smile fell again. He suddenly lost all appetite once more, beginning to pick at the wooden table. “I’m...” he cleared his throat, but continued on in a mumble, “not sure.”

“Oh,” she looked down at the table for a moment, then looked back up at him.

His hair was disheveled with a major cowlick, his clothes were rumpled, and his eyes had bags beneath them, despite how much sleep he’d gotten over the past week and a half. He seemed like he wasn’t naturally too confident, but the unfamiliar situation and the clear uncertainty in his eyes only highlighted his posture; he was closing in on himself, trying to make himself smaller as if he’d rather just go completely unnoticed.

It was a sad sight to see.

He may not have been a minor, but to the captain, he was still young, in terms of adulthood.

Yet the weathered eyes that seemed to know the secrets of the world, the patches of freezing white on his skin, and the streaks of grey in his hair, all seem to say he had experiences far beyond his years; had endured pain enough to encompass a million lifetimes.

“You know, if you don’t know your name,” she started tapping the table as she thought for a second, “we can always just give you a new one.”

The boy looked up at her quickly, interested. “Like what?”

“Well, our village has always been greek related,” she hummed, “so how about something mythology based too?”

“Okay, yeah, that would work,” he shrugged, “but I don’t know many mythology figures.”

Glad that she’d gotten him to agree, she wasn’t deterred at his hesitance, “It’s alright, my friend Pollux has a bunch of books you can go through.”

Kalipso smiled too, “I actually have some pastries that I promised to bake for him and his brother earlier this month, so we can take out two birds with one stone by going there.”

“So it’s settled, then.” the captain gave a lopsided grin, reaching across to ruffle the boy’s hair. With how messy his hair was, ruffling it actually might’ve made it a bit neater. “Let’s head across to visit the brothers.”   



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> Kalipso - Niki  
> Pollux - Techno  
> Castor - Wilbur

_ ~Later~ _

Time seemed to slow down for him after Hestia knocked. As the three of them stood outside a house, the boy couldn’t seem to calm down. The house was on the edge of the village, away from the bustle of the main streets, but it was really more of a small mansion than a cottage.

Calling it a “mansion” caused his heart to race. He felt itchy, like his skin was too loose on his body; he should remember something about this. “Mansion” should mean something to him - something more sentimental than just the dictionary definition.

Unease settled into his stomach. He couldn’t be sure if the “mansion” was a good or bad memory, but he didn’t like this feeling. He didn’t like that he couldn’t remember it at all.

He fidgeted as he finally heard footsteps approach from inside. When the door swung open, there stood a tan boy with dark-peach shaded hair. His face looked gruff; kind of boar-like. His clothing consisted of some shaggy brown pants, tucked into black boots, and a men’s white renaissance lace-up blouse. The boy couldn’t help but be intimidated in the presence of the stranger; he felt scrutinized under the rough gaze.

“Evening, Cap’n. Kalipso.” The stranger gave a polite nod to Hestia, as well as to Kalipso, who held a basket of pastries, “What brings you both here?”

“Good afternoon, Pollux,” the pirate captain tipped her hat to her friend, “may we come in?”

He dipped his head politely and led the trio inside.

The boy didn’t really want to come in, but seeing as his friends were going, he shuffled in after them.

“So uh, who’s this kid you’ve brought along with you?” Pollux eyed the boy skeptically, but seemed more awkward than menacing.

“He’s the boy that washed ashore nearly two weeks ago,” the captain explained, “he doesn’t remember his name. That’s part of why we’re here, actually.”

Kalipso spoke up, “Before we get into that though, is Castor here too? I brought some pastries for you both.”

“Thanks, lass,” he didn’t smile, but his tone wasn’t ungrateful, “my brother’s out in the garden, playing that guitar we bought him. He’s gotten really good at it lately.”

“Guitar?” The boy questioned.

“Yes, lad,” to his surprise, Pollux deigned to answer him, “the three of us saved up a few months back to buy him the instrument.”   
As they reached the dining room, the gruff boy shambled over to an open door that led out to the back of the house - the edge of the woods. “Castor, stop assaulting the wild animals with your horrible music!” A shout was heard in response, and Pollux rolled his eyes before shouting back, “The captain’s over!”

In a minute or so, the group was seated at the table, and in trotted the missing brother.

He had the same tanned skin as his brother, but his hair consisted of less pinks and more browns. He was about the same height though, and the boy got the feeling they were twins. He looked a bit less gruff than Pollux, and smiled more, but had the same boar-like features. He wore a grey tunic with lighter grey sleeves, with a cowl around his neck and a matching sash around his waist.

“Hey, Cap’n! Hey, Kal!” He gave a lop-sided grin as he sat down, more jovial than his twin, “Are we readying to set off on another voyage?”

The mention of a voyage finally made it click in the boy’s head. He was semi ashamed it had taken this long for him to figure out why she had the title of Captain. She was even wearing a pirate outfit. Luckily they were too busy conversing to pay attention to his silent disappointment in himself.

“Not yet, Castor,” Hestia laughed, “we have another matter, actually. But first, Kalipso?”

“Ah, right!” She stood up, placing a basket on the table, “Here’s the pastries I promised to bake for you both.”

After gratitude was expressed, and pastries were rationed, the twins looked back to the girls to talk about the main purpose of their visit.

“So,” Pollux hummed, “you want to look through some mythology books to help pick out a name for this lad?”

Hestia gave a friendly smile, “Yep! As long as you don’t mind.”

He shrugged, and was about to answer when Castor cut him off, “Cap’n, Kal, do you two wanna come here me play? I’m in the middle of making up a new song - it’s inspired by that old sea shanty you made up.”

The pirate captain was a bit hesitant to leave Pollux alone with the boy; as she’d heard from Kalipso, he had been awake for only five minutes and already he’d shattered a lamp. Plus he didn’t seem to have all that much confidence. Though, Pollux was quite socially awkward too, so perhaps they wouldn’t overbear each other.

She and Kalipso strolled back outside with the guitarist, leaving the gruff man alone with the amnesiac.

It was awkward.

Neither seemed to know quite what to do to clear the silence. Neither knew how to make the first move.

Eventually, the boar-hybrid cleared his throat, “So uh, I guess I should grab a book on greek mythology figures and stuff?”

The boy shrugged, trying to avoid eye contact. It was easy, considering the last thing the boar-hybrid wanted was also eye contact.

Pollux stood up, the noise of the chair scraping against the floor causing the boy to flinch.

The boar-hybrid mentally winced.

This was definitely off to a great start.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> Kalipso - Niki  
> Pollux - Techno  
> Castor - Wilbur

“How much do you know about greek mythology? Or mythology in general?”

“Not much,” the boy shrugs, “I think I can recognise a few names, if I hear them first.”

“Hm. I see.” He flicked through the starting pages, landing on the starter pages of the main gods.

As he slid his hand through the pages more slowly, he hesitated on Hermes. God of Travelers. But he was also the god of thieves. In the end, he flicked by it, and sensing none of the other Olympians quite portrayed the situation, he continued on to another chapter.

The great heroes and prominent mortal figures in mythology. He flicked through the names carelessly; Hercules, Achilles, Theseus, Odysseus, Perseus. Only twice he paused; for Orpheus, and for Icarus. For some reason, they both half-worked. Yet he found no good reason to suggest them just yet. He did file them away into his mind, for later.

He continued on. Cadmus, Atalanta, Jason, Bellerophon. He worked through the chapters patiently, the amnesiac next to him trying in vain to capture a hint of any stories that he connected with, but ultimately gave up to just sit quietly, unable to match Pollux’s reading speed.

The boar-hybrid eventually paused, finding a name that caught his attention. “Lethe.”

“Leaf?” The boy questioned, confused.

“No. Lethe.” He pointed to the name spelt out on the page, “It’s the name of one of the five rivers in the underworld. Anyone who drinks from it is said to completely forget everything.”   
Pollux tapped the paragraph underneath, “It’s also the name of the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, with whom the river is usually associated.”

“Oh.” He was silent for a second, before turning it over in his mind, “You think Lethe fits me?”

“Well, you don’t remember anything, do you?” The boar-hybrid shrugged noncommittally, “And that means we also can’t base the name off any heroic feats for now. So I think Lethe works until further notice.”

“Yeah,” the boy nodded, “yeah okay, that makes sense. I like the name, too.”

“Good. Uh, how do you feel having gotten your name sorted out, Lethe?”

Lethe smiled, “It’s a bit better. Thanks for the help, Pollux.”

“Eh, no biggie, lad.” The boar-hybrid sent him a small smile, for about 0.3 seconds before falling to his usual gruff expression, “How about we go listen to Castor play his guitar with the others?”

“Sure, should I brace my ears?” He joked.

“Nah, I just like to tease him,” Pollux snorted, “he’s actually really good.”   
“C’mon, let’s head outside.”

_ ~Later~ _

Lethe gave a wave and a smile to the girls as he was led over to them and Castor.

“Hey, how’d it go?” The captain was the first to ask, “Did you find a good name?”

“Mhm!” He sat down on the grass next to where Hestia and Kalipso were, “I chose Lethe.”

“Leaf?”

Kalipso piped into the conversation, “Lethe, one of the rivers in the underworld, yeah?”

“That’s the amnesia river, isn’t it? The yellow one.” The guitarist piped in.

The pirate captain frowned, “Wasn’t it white?”

“Some accounts say it was white, some say yellow.” Pollux clarified.

“Oh, well I was gonna say,” the captain chuckled, “if it was white, it certainly works, since he did come in wearing that really weird all-white hoodie.”

“What?”

“The hoodie you were wearing; it was completely white,” Kalipso explained, “it looked kinda like it was just straight-up bleached.”

Lethe got the feeling that wasn’t right. His hoodie shouldn’t have been white; it should’ve been really colourful!...right?

He supposed he must have been wrong. After all, he was just an amnesiac. What would he know?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dreams are just memories in themselves, are they not?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lethe - Karl  
> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> Kalipso - Niki  
> Pollux - Techno  
> Castor - Wilbur

He ran. He ran, and ran, and ran some more.

**_FOLLOW THE TORCHES._ **

Another scream from the unknown presence tore a sob from his chest.

He ducked and dived. He dashed through the halls, trying in vain to outrun the inevitable.

**_IT CAN’T FOLLOW YOU THROUGH THE PORTAL._ **

He didn’t want this anymore. He didn’t want anything to do with this place.

The stories could burn, as long as the ones he really loved were okay.

He didn’t need any of this.

If he could just make it out…

**_YOU’LL BE HOME SOON._ **

If he could just make it out, then he could make everything okay.

He could talk to his fiances; he could clear up the misunderstandings.

They could love him again.

They could sit down for a movie night and fall asleep cuddling on the couch.

Together again. Finally. Without the arguing and the accusations.

**_KEEP GOING. HURRY!_ **

Everything could be fine.

Everything could be--

He tripped, sprawling across the marble tiles.

With his momentum spent, he gasped against the cold floor, his ribs crackling.

He felt blossoms of agony sprout from his face and, from his position on the ground, he shakily reached up to his nose.

His eyes widened as he pulled his hand back.

Dark crimson blood stained his fingers, along with raven petals that burned his skin like acid.

**_FOR YOUR FRIENDS!_ **

A sob wracked his aching chest, only pain building as he tried in vain to breathe through his infested lungs.

But despite everything, he crawled.

With numb arms, he clawed his way forward.

With burning hands, he dragged his body up the flight of stairs.

_ One.  _ He stopped for a moment to breathe.

_Two._ _Three._ He dared to cry out for help; tears slid down his cheeks as he screamed.

_ Four. _

He only made it to the fifth step.

He got halfway onto the landing before his arms gave out beneath him.

The broken time traveler laid there, sobbing and mourning.

Mourning for the memories he’d already lost. Mourning for the life, for the experiences, he’d never get to have. Mourning for the people he’d left behind.

He’d never make it to the second landing. He’d never make it through the portal. He’d never make it home to his fiances.

He wanted to scream until his throat was raw. He wanted to demand some kind of compensation. He wanted to curse out the world for what it had put him through.

Bitterly, he laughed, the acid of the raven roses scarring his skin and vines choking his lungs.

He laughed, and laughed. For some reason, he found it funny that his body was rapidly deteriorating to catch up with his rotting mind. His memories had turned to mush.

_ Who was it that he wanted to get home to? _

The unanswered thought only incited more crazed laughter from the boy.

He was too far gone. There was no reason to keep going. He had nothing to lose anymore.

He was only a pawn for the world, for fate.

In his final moments, he pictured himself flipping off the gods.

With his final breaths, he rejected his fate; rejected everything they’d made of him.

And so his last coherent thought was a bouquet of yellow carnations.

. . . . .   
. . .   
.

He was shaken awake by a panicked figure on the brink of tears, Kalipso’s concerned arms reaching out to pull him back to the present.

“Lethe!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his final breaths, he rejected his fate; rejected everything they’d made of him.  
> And so his last coherent thought was a bouquet of yellow carnations.  
> . . . . .  
> . . .  
> .  
> He was shaken awake by a panicked figure on the brink of tears, Kalipso’s concerned arms reaching out to pull him back to the present.  
> “Lethe!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lethe - Karl  
> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> Kalipso - Niki  
> Pollux - Techno  
> Castor - Wilbur

He blearily opened his eyes, letting himself be pulled up by his friend.

“Lethe, are you okay?” She fretted over him, “I thought you were in serious danger!”

He needed about ten seconds to comprehend anything she’d just said, “What?”

“You were yelling in your sleep, it really scared me.” Kalipso seemed to be calming down, but she was still shaken, “What kind of nightmare were you having?”

_ Nightmare?  _ It was slipping from him already, but he remembered pain; rejection. He wondered if it hadn’t been just a dream.

After being silent for a while, he finally spoke.

He was careful with his wording, “Dreams can’t have memories in them, can they?”

“Well, Pollux once said that dreams are just memories in themselves,” she scratched the back of her neck anxiously, not missing how Lethe avoided her question, “why do you ask?”

“Oh, just wondering.” He lied.

He wasn’t sure why he even asked. He could remember the dream anymore.

The only imprint it left on him was the image of a bouquet of flowers.

If he remembered flowers, the nightmare couldn’t have been that bad, could it?

He realised he maybe had something a bit more important to ask than to keep thinking about some random dream he’d had. “Hey uh, what happened?”

“What do you mean?” Kalipso had been turning to leave, but now she looked back.

“Well I remember visiting the twins, and coming up with a name, but…” He paused, unsure of exactly how to say what he wanted to. “But then it’s just blank again.”

“You don’t remember walking home with us?” Her eyes widened, “You even helped me bake a cake after Puffy left!”

His heart deflated at this knowledge. He didn’t remember saying goodbye to the twins, he didn’t remember baking, and he couldn’t even remember getting back into bed.

“No,” he shook his head hopelessly, “I don’t remember any of that, I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t sure if he should’ve told her that. It seemed a bit awkward to reveal his memory was still being affected by whatever happened before he arrived here. But then again, he wasn’t about to drag this on forever.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t about to tell  _ everyone _ , but maybe Kalipso could be trusted. Communication seemed to be a smart move here.

The girl in question grabbed his hand and dragged Lethe to the kitchen. An unfrosted cake sat wrapped in the fridge.

“We were going to frost it last night, but you said you were tired, so we left it until morning,” she insisted.

“Was I being weird at all?”

She rubbed the back of her neck, “Well, you were having trouble with even the simplest instructions, and asked the same questions multiple times. When I pointed out you’d already asked the question, you just shrugged it off.”

“Was I being weird at all?”

She snapped her head up to look at him, eyes widening with worry.

But then she saw him chuckling.

Kalipso sighed tearfully, “You’re not getting cake, Lethe.”

The response was a squawk of disbelief as he hurried to apologise. They both smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lethe - Karl  
> Hestia/Puffy - Puffy  
> Typhon - Foolish  
> Kalipso - Niki  
> Pollux - Techno  
> Castor - Wilbur

He didn’t remember how he ended up here.

He remembered Kalipso asking him to go out to buy something, and he remembered leaving the house. But he didn’t remember how he’d gotten so damn lost.

When had he left the main town area? How’d he end up so deep in the forest?

More importantly, which way led back to the village?

It was sometime around late afternoon, meaning Lethe didn’t have much time until nightfall. He wished he had some way to… Oh. That was what Kalipso had told him to buy.

Most people on the server had a Communicator, no matter how scattered residents were throughout the world. It only connected to a certain radius, though it could connect further if you had the specific area code you wanted to talk to.

Lethe hadn’t washed ashore with one, though, so it wasn’t long before he’d been told to go buy a new one. They were sold pretty much everywhere - they weren’t very durable, considering the dangers of the world.

He trekked through the woods idly, nowhere near as concerned as he probably should be. He had a vague feeling that he’d be fine if anything happened - or at least, in the past, he felt that had always been the case.

He’d be fine.

He drifted through, vaguely admiring his surroundings, but it wasn’t long before he realised he couldn’t see as well - it was too dark. The distant growls of zombies and rattles of skeletons brought the first shiver of unease to the boy.

But it was still okay. He’d be fine.

An arrow whizzed past his head, and seconds later a hiss from behind him chased him out of his daze. He threw himself forward just in time as the blast seared the back of his hoodie. He didn’t have time to whimper over his wound as a spider jumped down on him from above. Shoving it off, he got to his feet and ran.

Okay, so maybe he wouldn’t be fine.

He ducked underneath a tree branch, leaving a skeleton to de-head itself behind him. Just as he thought he’d be fine, he was winded by a strong arm reaching out across his path. Lethe gasped, dropping to his knees in front of the zombie.

He tried to crawl away, but when that wasn’t any good, he simply put his arms up to shield his face from the barrage of mobs.

. . . . .   
. . .   
.

Lightning rained down around him, singeing his clothes but leaving him untouched, if not pleasantly warmed.

Lethe’s eyes opened in shock, not lowering his arms but daring to look around himself.

“Are you okay?”

His head snapped to the right, where a tall figure stood between two trees on a slight hill, almost disguised if not for the golden shine of his skin in the moonlight. He looked mystical. The moonlight created a silver glow around him, and his golden skin glimmered fiercely.

He slowly lowered his arms, shifting slightly to squint at the man, “Who are you?”

“Oh, my bad,” he smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and breaking the mystical tension, “I’m Typhon.”

“Typhon…” he repeated the name to himself, before it clicked, “You’re the one who found me when I washed ashore! It was you and Puffy!”

The giant blinked, before seeming to recognise Lethe too, “I knew you looked familiar!”

He wandered down to the boy, and held out a hand for him. He hesitated, but took the help and was pulled to his feet roughly.

“Ah, sorry, I don’t know my own strength,” He chuckled. This newcomer - Typhon - was definitely not human. He was too tall, with golden skin and a shark head hoodie. His emerald eyes were piercing. “Lethe, right?”

He nodded. The two sat there in an awkward silence.

“Uh, I almost didn’t save you, you know;” he said it casually, if not awkwardly, “you look like a ghost, so at first I thought I imagined you. But then I saw you were in serious trouble with the mobs.”

“Well thanks anyway,” Lethe tried to smile, though he was low on hearts and seriously shaken.

“Do you need help getting back to the village?”

“Yep,” the boy laughed shakily, “I was just supposed to go buy a Communicator.”

Typhon deadpanned for a second before shaking his head in disbelief, “How the heck did you mess it up this bad?”

“I have no idea. Please help.”


End file.
